


Day 3: Gifts – The Giving Tree

by 221b_hound



Series: Techienician: Botanical Love [4]
Category: Dredd (2012), Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: 30 Days of Techienician, 30-Day Fic Meme, Anniversary, Gift Giving, M/M, Techienician
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:16:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7936195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/221b_hound/pseuds/221b_hound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Techie has bought a gift for Matt. It appears to be... moving. What's worse is that Matt hasn't bought a gift for Techie. He doesn't even know what this one is for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day 3: Gifts – The Giving Tree

**Author's Note:**

> I am not usually online to post over the weekend, so I am posting days 3 and 4 ahead of time.

Matt is looking at a little lumpy parcel sitting on his pillow. He’s not sure, but he thinks whatever’s in it might be… moving. He is peering at it through his big glasses as though it’s a Naboo nightspider – he once saw a tank of the venomous little things at a zoo on Coruscant and the memory still gives him the creeps.

“It’s for you,” mumbles Techie, coming out of the refresher. His long red hair is its usual straggly mess, and the way he’s scrubbing at it with the towel only makes it stragglier.

“For me?”

Techie makes a noise that sounds affirmative. His face is hidden by the towel.

“Why?”

The next noise is less decipherable, but contains several syllables.

Matt reaches for the parcel and holds it in the palm of his large hand. It’s definitely not a nightspider then – Techie was there when Matt woke up squeaking in fright from his nightmare about them and wouldn’t do anything like that – but it’s still… moving.

Matt pokes it with his finger and underneath the wrapping, the contents tremble.

Matt knows how they feel.

But Techie gave this to him, and so it must be harmless. Techie has never played mean tricks on him (which is more than can be said for some of Matt’s colleagues) and right now Techie is still kind of hidden under the towel, like he’s embarrassed.

Carefully, Matt lifts the folds of soft paper and discovers, nestled within the wrapping, a small pot containing a small plant. The leaves are very still for a moment, and then they slowly move. As though sensing they are no longer restricted, the leaves reach up.

“Talk to it,” says Techie, emerging from the towel to watch.

Matt can’t drag his eyes away from the plant. He leans close to it and says, “Hello.”

The leaves shiver and wave as though the plant is giggling.

“What is it?” he asks in wonder.

“A kkortree,” says Techie.

Matt has heard of kkortrees. They were genetically engineered to be suitable for survival on spaceships. Companion plants, as it were – low maintenance, very sturdy, surviving on a little water, a little light, a little plant nutrient and the sound of a human voice. The first three make them grow, but it’s the human voice that makes them thrive.

“It’s beautiful,” breathes Matt, and the little plant shivers and reaches up and not-quite-perceptibly _grows_.

“Happy anniversary,” says Techie, and Matt realises it was what Techie was saying before, under the towel. He counts the months in his head, since Techie brought his small bag of possessions and all the joy in Matt’s world into Matt’s lonely quarters and made _his_ quarters _theirs_.

Six months.

“I haven’t…” he begins, because he’s never counted the days, only the joy. He hasn’t got a gift for Techie.

“Yes you have,” says Techie, blushing shy because words out loud are harder than feelings felt deep. “Every day.”

Gently, Matt puts the kkortree on the cabinet by the bed. He leans down and says to it, “I’m in love with Techie and he’s in love with me.” The kkortree shivers again, that giggly motion, and wiggles its leaves at him.

Smiling, Matt reaches for Techie’s hand and smiling, Techie takes it.

All night to the sound of two loving voices, the kkortree giggles and thrives.


End file.
